Chapter 11

The Queen walked along the oceans edge, she had to find just the right point so that when she walked in and give herself the fin she could easily dive into the ocean. Her bare toes tread on the waters edge, foam seemed to surround only her. She tried kicking it away, but to no avail. She could hear that the Mermaid was singing. Even to her it was beautiful, haunting, it brought tears to her eyes. All she could think of at the moment was of her Daniel.

Regina shook her head and took a deep breath. She couldn't let the Mermaid get to her like that. She walked into the water, snapped her fingers and fell into the ocean, her fin flipping as she pulled herself to the edge of the cliff. Then she dove, not as gracefully as a Mermaid could, but it was still elegant.

Ariel had stopped singing finally, she knew that her sorrow was heard throughout the kingdom and most likely into a few of the kingdoms above. She sat on a rock, the hole was just above her. She was looking through it, hoping her father would come and let her out. She didn't understand how he could have done this to her. WHO would be evil enough to take her voice. It wasn't that important.

She let out a choking sob and grasped onto the shell that hung from her neck. Her father had locked it in here as well, knowing he would never want to lose it. But now it was hers, she didn't care what he thought. Not anymore.

"Hello!" A voice called from above, Ariel looked up and gasped as she saw a young woman's face visible through the hole. "Are you alright? How did you get in there?"

Ariel gasped and swam closer to the hole, she pushed her hand through, the woman grasped it. "Who are you?" Ariel asked.

"My name is Nira," Regina answered. "I live with my mother not to far away in a cave.

"You live in a cave?" Ariel asked. "But why not live in the Kingdom."

"The King banished my mother," Regina sighed, she looked sad. "She practiced Sea Magic and the King…"

"I know what the King thought," Ariel nodded. "All to well. He's banished me here."

"What's your name?" Regina asked.

Ariel paused, not wanting this young woman to know her true identity. "Its Evelyn."

"Well Evelyn, would you like help out?" Regina asked simply.

"You can do that!" Ariel gasped. "Yes! Yes! Please!"

"Alright, swim back," Ariel did as she was told and swam to the bottom. "I cant break the stone, but I can make it so you can slide though it. When you see the rocks shimmer…swim fast!"

Ariel nodded, Regina began speaking in another language, one Ariel had not heard before. Before her eyes the rocks began to shimmer, she could see Regina fully now. She was very beautiful with her flowing brown hair and sky blue fin. Ariel swam as fast as she could towards the rocks, for a second it felt like she was being pulled in two directions, one down and one up. Then she was free. Regina caught her before she could loose control of her swim.

"Thank you!" Ariel beamed, tears in her eyes, she grabbed Regina and hugged her. "Is there anything I can do for you in return?"

Regina pulled away from Ariel and pretended to look thoughtful. "You could, yes," she nodded. "I was supposed to go get some herbs on land for my mother to use in her healing potions. But I hate land. Would you go get them for me?"

Ariel sighed. "I can't, the King has not given me permission to walk on land."

"Oh psh-tosh! That's easy enough to do," Regina grinned. "But it may hurt. The way I know how to do it…its very painful."

"Really? You can help me get my legs?" Ariel looked hopeful. "I don't care about pain. Just do it. PLEASE!"

"Alright!" Regina laughed. Sitting beside the rock cave Ariel had been in was a jar, with a thin reed in it. "You have to drink that. Its retched. My mother makes it for me whenever I must go get herbs for her."

Ariel swam and grabbed the jar, she was just about to suck the liquid through the reed and when Regina swam up to her. "But you only have a day up there Evelyn. If you go past a day then your fin will return while you are on land! You know there are people out there who covet our scales. I wouldn't want you to be taken or die because you couldn't get to the sea fast enough."

Ariel nodded. "I understand," and then took a sip of the liquid. She gagged and grinned at Regina. "You're right. Its awful…" she stopped talking as pain ripped through her fin. It felt like it was being ripped apart, and indeed it was. She looked down as a ruby red glow surrounded her fin and watched as it slowly ripped apart. She had never felt pain like that before.

"Ariel!" Sebastian yelled as he watched his niece scream in pain and as her fin ripped apart.

Regina looked up and grinned, then quickly swam away. "Evelyn! When you get back, come find me!"

"Sebastian!" Ariel gasped, she felt the pressure of the sea around her, water quickly filled her human lungs and she began choking. Her almost useless legs trying to pump her up towards the waves above.

Sebastian swam forward, grabbing her from under her arms and swam with all of his might. In what seemed like hours, but was only seconds they both burst through the waves. He pushed her up onto her rock she had only just been on. "Child! What were you thinking?"

Ariel coughed and gagged, spewing water from her lungs. "I just wanted to be on land once." She cried, tears streaming down her face. "What do I do now? I feel so weak!"

"Well if your father had done this you wouldn't," Sebastian sighed, he looked around and spotted a small boat. "Yell for that boat over there to come and get you."

"Can you come with me!" Ariel asked, fear lacing her voice. She hadn't known it would be this frightening, or that she would still hurt as she took ragged breaths.

"No," Sebastian shook his head. "Your father made it so that I too could never walk on land." He turned towards the boat. "Help! Over here!" Then he dove, not wanting to answer the questions Ariel would clearly have after what he had said.

Ariel gasped, and watched her teacher as he dove deep into the sea. "Hello!" A mans voice called from the boat that was rowing closer to her. "Do you need help?"

"Yes please," she croaked. She looked down and noticed she wasn't wearing anything at all. The man in the boat noticed that as well and striped his shirt off, throwing it at her before the boat could come any closer. Gratefully she slipped it on, there were three men in the boat.

The one who had given her his shirt was the most handsome of the three. He had short dark hair and amazing blue eyes, the color of the crystal sea. He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the boat beside him.